DOCSLIB.ORG

The Apollo 1 Disaster: the Tragedy That Landed a Man on the Moon

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Apollo 1 Disaster: the Tragedy That Landed a Man on the Moon The Apollo 1 Disaster: The Tragedy That Landed a Man on the Moon https://youtu.be/QWp9Wy31G80 Elie Musfeldt and Natalie Pujet Junior Division Documentary Process Paper Word Count: 500 Process Paper When we began our project, we created a list of topic ideas. We both have an interest in the history of astronomy and spaceflight, so we began to explore topics relating to the Space Race. As we started in-depth research on a few of our ideas, we discovered that in addition to having palpable ties to tragedy, the Apollo 1 disaster had many fascinating connections to Apollo 11’s first manned lunar landing and the American triumph in the Space Race. We learned that after the disaster, safety protocols and operations were transformed, making it possible to land on the Moon safely. We were intrigued, and selected this as our topic. After further research, we found that the United States winning the Space Race was a key turning point in the Cold War. The majority of our research was conducted in the Boulder Public Library and University of Colorado Norlin Library databases. Some of the sources we found this way were New York Times articles about the fire dating back to 1967. We also studied the complete report of the NASA review board that investigated the fire. It details all of the changes that were made to the Command Module after the fire, and examines the events leading up to the fire. In addition, we discovered online an interview with an Apollo 1 launch pad technician, Stephen Clemmons, who was on the launch pad during the fire and attempted to rescue the astronauts. He relayed an extremely detailed account of the fire and subsequent changes, having experienced both first-hand. We chose documentary as our project category because we were both interested in making a visual and auditory representation of our research to bring these events to life. In our research, we found authentic footage, photos, newspapers, and audio that we wanted to display. Creating a documentary gave us the opportunity to learn about video production techniques and how to use editing software. We also created and performed our own music to add to the tone of our documentary. Overall, a documentary was a great way to creatively display all of our research. The Apollo 1 fire fits the theme of tragedy because on January 27, 1967, the mission disastrously failed during a ground test. A capsule fire, caused by major design flaws and safety oversights, resulted in the deaths of the first three Apollo astronauts. This disaster profoundly affected the spirit of the nation since the Space Race had been a source of hope for Americans during the paranoia of the Cold War. Our topic fits the theme of triumph because the review board created shortly after the fire found many safety issues with the capsule and operations that were remedied, making the Moon program more efficient and less hazardous. These changes also prevented further fatalities in the Apollo Program. Saving the Apollo program allowed the United States to beat the Soviet Union to the Moon, which was a major triumph as well as a symbol of technological and scientific superiority. Annotated Bibliography Primary Sources Aftermath. Space.com, www.space.com/10674-apollo-1-fire-nasa-disaster.html. This photograph shows the burned exterior of the Apollo 1 capsule after the fire. It helped us realize the full extent of the damage caused by the fire. We used this image in our documentary to show the viewers how real and how serious the fire was. After the Fire. Space.com, www.space.com/10674-apollo-1-fire-nasa-disaster.html. This photograph shows the Apollo 1 command module on January 28, 1967, the day after the fire. It clearly shows how the intense heat of the fire affected the interior of the capsule, so we used it in our documentary. Agena Target Docking Vehicle. Wikipedia, upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/47/Gemini_10_-_Agena_Target_Dockin g_Vehicle.jpg. The photograph was taken during the Gemini 10 mission and shows the Agena Target Docking Vehicle and Gemini 10 spacecraft during rendezvous (docking). The Agena was launched 100 minutes before Gemini 10, and one of the goals of the mission was to complete a successful rendezvous in space. We showed this image in our documentary when we talked about the Mercury and Gemini Programs and rendezvous. Angle on Apollo. Space.com, www.space.com/10674-apollo-1-fire-nasa-disaster.html. This image shows mechanics working on the Apollo 1 command module heat shield from the z-axis. This would have prevented the command module from burning up upon reentry into Earth’s atmosphere. APOLLO DEATHS LAID TO CHANGE IN PLANS. (1967, Apr 22). New York Times (1923-Current File) Retrieved from https://0-search-proquest-com.nell.flatironslibrary.org/docview/118084122?accounti d=48257 This primary source article helped us understand that the safety of the Apollo 1 crew was not taken into consideration when many poor decisions were made. It taught us that the original plan for the test on January 27, 1967, was to have the hatches open, but in October 1966, NASA changed it to a closed hatch test, claiming it would not be hazardous. They were very wrong. Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin stands next to a flag on the Moon on July 20, 1969. B usiness Insider, www.businessinsider.com/american-flags-moon-color-bleached-white-2017-4. This image shows astronaut Buzz Aldrin standing next to the American flag on the Moon. This image was taken on July 20, 1969, during the Apollo 11 mission, which was also the first manned lunar landing. Apollo 11 Launch Team. Nalfl.com , www.nalfl.com/?page_id=2523&cpage=1 This image shows the Apollo 11 mission control team. We used this image in our documentary to illustrate how organized and professional NASA became after the accident. "APOLLO 1, ABC news coverage, interview with the crew, Jan. 27, 1967." Y ouTube , uploaded by Dan Beaumont Space Museum, 14 Dec. 2011, www.youtube.com/watch?v=pm3_kwTD2SM This primary source video news coverage contains interviews with all three crew members from the morning before the fire, which was helpful footage when making our documentary. The crew members talk about their philosophy about the risks in spaceflight, and after watching it, we realized that all three of them accepted that they had a dangerous job and were prepared to give their lives for their country. Apollo 1 Astronauts Training. S pace.com, /https://www.space.com/10674-apollo-1-fire-nasa-disaster.html This image shows the Apollo 1 command module undergoing an altitude chamber test, which would simulate the conditions in space. We used it in our documentary. Apollo 1 Audio - 27 January, 1967. NASA, 2016. YouTube, www.youtube.com/watch?v=274lQSbpkRg This primary source audio recording helped us see what transmissions were made during the test and fire. This helped us understand exactly how everything happened, and how mission control at NASA reacted when they heard there was a fire. We used parts of this in our documentary. Apollo 1 Capsule Hoisted to Rocket. Space.com, /https://www.space.com/10674-apollo-1-fire-nasa-disaster.html This image shows the Apollo 1 command module being loaded onto the AS-204 rocket at launch pad 34 in Cape Kennedy. We did not put this image in our documentary, but it helped us understand what the rocket and capsule looked like when we started our project. The Apollo 1 Command Module. Space.com, /https://www.space.com/10674-apollo-1-fire-nasa-disaster.html This image shows the Apollo 1 command module, built by North American Aviation, during a pre-shipping phase. We used this image in our documentary. Apollo 1 Crew. S pace.com , www.space.com/10674-apollo-1-fire-nasa-disaster.html This image shows, from left to right, astronauts White, Grissom and Chaffee posing for the crew portrait for the Apollo 1 mission. We used this in our documentary to introduce the viewers to the crew. The Apollo 1 crew expressed their concerns about their spacecraft's problems by presenting this parody of their crew portrait to ASPO manager Joseph Shea on August 19, 1966. Wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_1 This image shows the Apollo 1 crew praying to a model of their command module as a parody of their crew portrait. The astronauts were mock-praying as a testament hoping nothing would go wrong due to the many problems of the spacecraft. This showed us that the crew was aware of all of the problems their capsule was having and that they were concerned about the safety of the mission. We used this in our documentary because it showed that the crew was concerned and tragically foreshadowed the accident. The Apollo 1 Crew, from Left to Right, Roger Chaffee, Ed White and Gus Grissom. Space.com, www.space.com/17338-apollo-1.html This image shows the Apollo 1 crew. From left to right, it shows Roger Chaffee, Ed White, and Gus Grissom seated in the capsule during a test. Apollo 1 Crew Members Walk Across a Catwalk to the Launch Pad 34 Whiteroom to Board Their Spacecraft on Jan. 27, 1967. Collect Space, www.collectspace.com/news/news-012707a.html This image shows the Apollo 1 crew walking across the catwalk to the white room, a small chamber that would help them access the command module, right before the start of the test. This image is among the last taken of the crew before the fire.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • USGS Open-File Report 2005-1190, Table 1
    TABLE 1 GEOLOGIC FIELD-TRAINING OF NASA ASTRONAUTS BETWEEN JANUARY 1963 AND NOVEMBER 1972 The following is a year-by-year listing of the astronaut geologic field training trips planned and led by personnel from the U.S. Geological Survey’s Branches of Astrogeology and Surface Planetary Exploration, in collaboration with the Geology Group at the Manned Spacecraft Center, Houston, Texas at the request of NASA between January 1963 and November 1972. Regional geologic experts from the U.S. Geological Survey and other governmental organizations and universities s also played vital roles in these exercises. [The early training (between 1963 and 1967) involved a rather large contingent of astronauts from NASA groups 1, 2, and 3. For another listing of the astronaut geologic training trips and exercises, including all attending and the general purposed of the exercise, the reader is referred to the following website containing a contribution by William Phinney (Phinney, book submitted to NASA/JSC; also http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/ap-geotrips.pdf).] 1963 16-18 January 1963: Meteor Crater and San Francisco Volcanic Field near Flagstaff, Arizona (9 astronauts). Among the nine astronaut trainees in Flagstaff for that initial astronaut geologic training exercise was Neil Armstrong--who would become the first man to step foot on the Moon during the historic Apollo 11 mission in July 1969! The other astronauts present included Frank Borman (Apollo 8), Charles "Pete" Conrad (Apollo 12), James Lovell (Apollo 8 and the near-tragic Apollo 13), James McDivitt, Elliot See (killed later in a plane crash), Thomas Stafford (Apollo 10), Edward White (later killed in the tragic Apollo 1 fire at Cape Canaveral), and John Young (Apollo 16).
    [Show full text]
  • In Memory of Astronaut Michael Collins Photo Credit
    Gemini & Apollo Astronaut, BGEN, USAF, Ret, Test Pilot, and Author Dies at 90 The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation (ASF) is saddened to report the loss of space man Michael Collins BGEN, USAF, Ret., and NASA astronaut who has passed away on April 28, 2021 at the age of 90; he was predeceased by his wife of 56 years, Pat and his son Michael and is survived by their daughters Kate and Ann and many grandchildren. Collins is best known for being one of the crew of Apollo 11, the first manned mission to land humans on the moon. Michael Collins was born in Rome, Italy on October 31, 1930. In 1952 he graduated from West Point (same class as future fellow astronaut, Ed White) with a Bachelor of Science Degree. He joined the U.S. Air Force and was assigned to the 21st Fighter-Bomber Wing at George AFB in California. He subsequently moved to Europe when they relocated to Chaumont-Semoutiers AFB in France. Once during a test flight, he was forced to eject from an F-86 after a fire started behind the cockpit; he was safely rescued and returned to Chaumont. He was accepted into the USAF Experimental Flight Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base in California. In 1960 he became a member of Class 60C which included future astronauts Frank Borman, Jim Irwin, and Tom Stafford. His inspiration to become an astronaut was the Mercury Atlas 6 flight of John Glenn and with this inspiration, he applied to NASA. In 1963 he was selected in the third group of NASA astronauts.
    [Show full text]
  • PEANUTS and SPACE FOUNDATION Apollo and Beyond
    Reproducible Master PEANUTS and SPACE FOUNDATION Apollo and Beyond GRADE 4 – 5 OBJECTIVES PAGE 1 Students will: ö Read Snoopy, First Beagle on the Moon! and Shoot for the Moon, Snoopy! ö Learn facts about the Apollo Moon missions. ö Use this information to complete a fill-in-the-blank fact worksheet. ö Create mission objectives for a brand new mission to the moon. SUGGESTED GRADE LEVELS 4 – 5 SUBJECT AREAS Space Science, History TIMELINE 30 – 45 minutes NEXT GENERATION SCIENCE STANDARDS ö 5-ESS1 ESS1.B Earth and the Solar System ö 3-5-ETS1 ETS1.B Developing Possible Solutions 21st CENTURY ESSENTIAL SKILLS Collaboration and Teamwork, Communication, Information Literacy, Flexibility, Leadership, Initiative, Organizing Concepts, Obtaining/Evaluating/Communicating Ideas BACKGROUND ö According to NASA.gov, NASA has proudly shared an association with Charles M. Schulz and his American icon Snoopy since Apollo missions began in the 1960s. Schulz created comic strips depicting Snoopy on the Moon, capturing public excitement about America’s achievements in space. In May 1969, Apollo 10 astronauts traveled to the Moon for a final trial run before the lunar landings took place on later missions. Because that mission required the lunar module to skim within 50,000 feet of the Moon’s surface and “snoop around” to determine the landing site for Apollo 11, the crew named the lunar module Snoopy. The command module was named Charlie Brown, after Snoopy’s loyal owner. These books are a united effort between Peanuts Worldwide, NASA and Simon & Schuster to generate interest in space among today’s younger children.
    [Show full text]
  • A Mercury Astronaut, Spacewalker and Rookie 25 January 2017, by Marcia Dunn
    Apollo 1's crew: a Mercury astronaut, spacewalker and rookie 25 January 2017, by Marcia Dunn Mercury capsule, the Liberty Bell 7. The hatch to the capsule prematurely blew off at splashdown on July 21, 1961. Grissom was pulled to safety, but his spacecraft sank. Next came Gemini. NASA assigned Grissom as commander of the first Gemini flight in 1965, and he good-naturedly picked Molly Brown as the name of the spacecraft after the Broadway musical "The Unsinkable Molly Brown." He was an Air Force test pilot before becoming an astronaut and his two sons ended up in aviation. Scott retired several years ago as a FedEx pilot, while younger Mark is an air traffic controller in Oklahoma. Their mother, Betty, still lives in Houston. This undated photo made available by NASA shows the Apollo 1 crew, from left, Edward H. White II, Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom, and Roger B. Chaffee. On Jan. 27, Scott recalls how his father loved hunting, fishing, 1967, a flash fire erupted inside their capsule during a skiing and racing boats and cars. "To young boys, countdown rehearsal, with the astronauts atop the rocket all that stuff is golden," he says. at Cape Canaveral's Launch Complex 34. All three were killed. (NASA via AP) ___ EDWARD WHITE II The three astronauts killed 50 years ago in the first White, 36, made history in 1965 as America's first U.S. space tragedy represented NASA's finest: the spacewalker. second American to fly in space, the first U.S. spacewalker and the trusted rookie.
    [Show full text]
  • Gemini 4 an Astronaut Steps Into the Void
    springer.com Popular Science : Popular Science in Astronomy Shayler, David J. Gemini 4 An Astronaut Steps into the Void Details the first American spacewalk in a leap forward from the Mercury program Follows each detail of Gemini's extended duration flight, NASA's first, relying extensively on archives Continues the Pioneers in Early Spaceflight series which looks one-by-one at the Mercury and Gemini flights The flight of Gemini 4 in June 1965 was conducted barely four years after the first Americans flew in space. It was a bold step by NASA to accomplish the first American spacewalk and to extend the U.S. flight duration record to four days. This would be double the experience gained from the six Mercury missions combined. This daring mission was the first to be directed from Springer the new Mission Control at the Manned Spacecraft Center near Houston, Texas. It also revealed 1st ed. 2018, XXV, 378 p. that: Working outside the spacecraft would require further study. Developing the techniques to 1st 81 illus., 46 illus. in color. rendezvous with another object in space would not be as straightforward as NASA had hoped. edition Living in a small spacecraft for several days was a challenging but necessary step in the quest for even longer flights.Despite the risks, the gamble that astronauts Jim McDivitt and Ed White undertook paid off. Gemini 4 gave NASA the confidence to attempt an even longer flight the Printed book next time. That next mission would simulate the planned eight-day duration of an Apollo lunar Softcover voyage.
    [Show full text]
  • Why NASA Consistently Fails at Congress
    W&M ScholarWorks Undergraduate Honors Theses Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects 6-2013 The Wrong Right Stuff: Why NASA Consistently Fails at Congress Andrew Follett College of William and Mary Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wm.edu/honorstheses Part of the Political Science Commons Recommended Citation Follett, Andrew, "The Wrong Right Stuff: Why NASA Consistently Fails at Congress" (2013). Undergraduate Honors Theses. Paper 584. https://scholarworks.wm.edu/honorstheses/584 This Honors Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects at W&M ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Undergraduate Honors Theses by an authorized administrator of W&M ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Wrong Right Stuff: Why NASA Consistently Fails at Congress A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Bachelors of Arts in Government from The College of William and Mary by Andrew Follett Accepted for . John Gilmour, Director . Sophia Hart . Rowan Lockwood Williamsburg, VA May 3, 2013 1 Table of Contents: Acknowledgements 3 Part 1: Introduction and Background 4 Pre Soviet Collapse: Early American Failures in Space 13 Pre Soviet Collapse: The Successful Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo Programs 17 Pre Soviet Collapse: The Quasi-Successful Shuttle Program 22 Part 2: The Thin Years, Repeated Failure in NASA in the Post-Soviet Era 27 The Failure of the Space Exploration Initiative 28 The Failed Vision for Space Exploration 30 The Success of Unmanned Space Flight 32 Part 3: Why NASA Fails 37 Part 4: Putting this to the Test 87 Part 5: Changing the Method.
    [Show full text]
  • Apollo 13 Mission Review
    APOLLO 13 MISSION REVIEW HEAR& BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON AERONAUTICAL AND SPACE SCIENCES UNITED STATES SENATE NINETY-FIRST CONGRESS SECOR’D SESSION JUR’E 30, 1970 Printed for the use of the Committee on Aeronautical and Space Sciences U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 47476 0 WASHINGTON : 1970 COMMITTEE ON AEROKAUTICAL AND SPACE SCIENCES CLINTON P. ANDERSON, New Mexico, Chairman RICHARD B. RUSSELL, Georgia MARGARET CHASE SMITH, Maine WARREN G. MAGNUSON, Washington CARL T. CURTIS, Nebraska STUART SYMINGTON, bfissouri MARK 0. HATFIELD, Oregon JOHN STENNIS, Mississippi BARRY GOLDWATER, Arizona STEPHEN M.YOUNG, Ohio WILLIAM B. SAXBE, Ohio THOJfAS J. DODD, Connecticut RALPH T. SMITH, Illinois HOWARD W. CANNON, Nevada SPESSARD L. HOLLAND, Florida J4MES J. GEHRIG,Stad Director EVERARDH. SMITH, Jr., Professional staffMember Dr. GLENP. WILSOS,Professional #tad Member CRAIGVOORHEES, Professional Staff Nember WILLIAMPARKER, Professional Staff Member SAMBOUCHARD, Assistant Chief Clerk DONALDH. BRESNAS,Research Assistant (11) CONTENTS Tuesday, June 30, 1970 : Page Opening statement by the chairman, Senator Clinton P. Anderson-__- 1 Review Board Findings, Determinations and Recommendations-----_ 2 Testimony of- Dr. Thomas 0. Paine, Administrator of NASA, accompanied by Edgar M. Cortright, Director, Langley Research Center and Chairman of the dpollo 13 Review Board ; Dr. Charles D. Har- rington, Chairman, Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel ; Dr. Dale D. Myers, Associate Administrator for Manned Space Flight, and Dr. Rocco A. Petrone, hpollo Director -___________ 21, 30 Edgar 11. Cortright, Chairman, hpollo 13 Review Board-------- 21,27 Dr. Dale D. Mvers. Associate Administrator for Manned SDace 68 69 105 109 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIOSS 1. Internal coinponents of oxygen tank So. 2 ---_____-_________________ 22 2.
    [Show full text]
  • Original Space Art Purpose
    Original Space Art Purpose of Illustrate the precision and beauty of two of America’s premiere space artists. Scope Paul & Chris Calle All material are original sketches and paintings created by Paul and Chris Calle. When a choice of cachets was available, artwork that most closely replicated the postage stamp was chosen. Plan Project Mercury 1959-1963 Project Gemini 1962-1966 Project Apollo 1961-1975 “They really wanted to send a dog, but they decided that would be too cruel.” Alan Shepard In 1962 NASA Administrator Jim Webb invited artists to record the strange new world of space. Of the original cadre, Paul Calle, an illustrator of science fiction book covers, joined Robert McCall and six others and began to sketch. As commissioned artists they received $800 and access to draw a blossoming manned space program. Over the years the NASA Art Program would include the works of pop artist Andy Warhol, photographer Annie Leibovitz, and American illustrator Norman Rockwell. Paul Calle remained associated with NASA from Mercury through Gemini, Apollo, and the Space Shuttle. Over the years, he helped guide his son Chris to become a serious artist in his own right. Paul would design over 50 stamps for the Post Office Department and the US Postal Service including the Gemini space twins in 1967 and the First Man on the Moon issue of 1969. To beat the Soviets in putting a man in space, the US Air Force selected nine pilots Chris collaborated with his father on two space stamps to celebrate the 25th for Man In Space Soonest (MISS).
    [Show full text]
  • The Moon After Apollo
    ICARUS 25, 495-537 (1975) The Moon after Apollo PAROUK EL-BAZ National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.G- 20560 Received September 17, 1974 The Apollo missions have gradually increased our knowledge of the Moon's chemistry, age, and mode of formation of its surface features and materials. Apollo 11 and 12 landings proved that mare materials are volcanic rocks that were derived from deep-seated basaltic melts about 3.7 and 3.2 billion years ago, respec- tively. Later missions provided additional information on lunar mare basalts as well as the older, anorthositic, highland rocks. Data on the chemical make-up of returned samples were extended to larger areas of the Moon by orbiting geo- chemical experiments. These have also mapped inhomogeneities in lunar surface chemistry, including radioactive anomalies on both the near and far sides. Lunar samples and photographs indicate that the moon is a well-preserved museum of ancient impact scars. The crust of the Moon, which was formed about 4.6 billion years ago, was subjected to intensive metamorphism by large impacts. Although bombardment continues to the present day, the rate and size of impact- ing bodies were much greater in the first 0.7 billion years of the Moon's history. The last of the large, circular, multiringed basins occurred about 3.9 billion years ago. These basins, many of which show positive gravity anomalies (mascons), were flooded by volcanic basalts during a period of at least 600 million years. In addition to filling the circular basins, more so on the near side than on the far side, the basalts also covered lowlands and circum-basin troughs.
    [Show full text]
  • Appendix a Apollo 15: “The Problem We Brought Back from the Moon”
    Appendix A Apollo 15: “The Problem We Brought Back From the Moon” Postal Covers Carried on Apollo 151 Among the best known collectables from the Apollo Era are the covers flown onboard the Apollo 15 mission in 1971, mainly because of what the mission’s Lunar Module Pilot, Jim Irwin, called “the problem we brought back from the Moon.” [1] The crew of Apollo 15 carried out one of the most complete scientific explorations of the Moon and accomplished several firsts, including the first lunar roving vehicle that was operated on the Moon to extend the range of exploration. Some 81 kilograms (180 pounds) of lunar surface samples were returned for anal- ysis, and a battery of very productive lunar surface and orbital experiments were conducted, including the first EVA in deep space. [2] Yet the Apollo 15 crew are best remembered for carrying envelopes to the Moon, and the mission is remem- bered for the “great postal caper.” [3] As noted in Chapter 7, Apollo 15 was not the first mission to carry covers. Dozens were carried on each flight from Apollo 11 onwards (see Table 1 for the complete list) and, as Apollo 15 Commander Dave Scott recalled in his book, the whole business had probably been building since Mercury, through Gemini and into Apollo. [4] People had a fascination with objects that had been carried into space, and that became more and more popular – and valuable – as the programs progressed. Right from the start of the Mercury program, each astronaut had been allowed to carry a certain number of personal items onboard, with NASA’s permission, in 1 A first version of this material was issued as Apollo 15 Cover Scandal in Orbit No.
    [Show full text]
  • Fire in the Cockpit
    National Aeronautics and Space Administration Admiation FEBRUARY 2008 Volume 2 Issue 2 Fire in the Cockpit A seminal event in the history of human spaceflight oc- curred on the evening of January 27th, 1967, at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) when a fire ignited inside the Apollo 204 spacecraft during ground test activities. The 100% oxygen atmosphere, flammable materials and a suspected electrical short created a fire which quickly became an inferno. Virgil Grissom, Edward White II, and Roger Chaffee (the prime crewmembers for Apollo mission AS- 204 – later designated Apollo 1) perished in the flames before the hatch could be opened. BACKGROUND: THE SPACE RACE n October of 1957, at the height of the Cold War, the Soviet Union launched the Sputnik satellite providing I a global display of Soviet technological prowess and sending shock waves throughout the “free world.” This Figure 1: Grissom, White and Chaffee. marked the very public beginning of the “space race.” Over the next four years the USA and the Soviet Union sions in 1968 after seven years of component design, de- space programs evolved, learning from failures and cele- velopment and testing. brating successes. Then, in 1961, newly elected President John F. Kennedy declared that the USA would land on Apollo Spacecraft 204 the Moon and safely return by the end of the decade – AS-204 was built by North American Aviation (NAA) thus initiating the Apollo Program and the race to the and shipped to KSC in August, 1966, despite the fact that moon. there was still open work. That work and other engineer- ing changes would be completed at KSC.
    [Show full text]
  • Celebrate Apollo
    National Aeronautics and Space Administration Celebrate Apollo Exploring The Moon, Discovering Earth “…We go into space because whatever mankind must undertake, free men must fully share. … I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth. No single space project in this period will be more exciting, or more impressive to mankind, or more important for the long-range exploration of space; and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish …” President John F. Kennedy May 25, 1961 Celebrate Apollo Exploring The Moon, Discovering Earth Less than five months into his new administration, on May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy, announced the dramatic and ambitious goal of sending an American safely to the moon before the end of the decade. Coming just three weeks after Mercury astronaut Alan Shepard became the first American in space, Kennedy’s bold challenge that historic spring day set the nation on a journey unparalleled in human history. Just eight years later, on July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 commander Neil Armstrong stepped out of the lunar module, taking “one small step” in the Sea of Tranquility, thus achieving “one giant leap for mankind,” and demonstrating to the world that the collective will of the nation was strong enough to overcome any obstacle. It was an achievement that would be repeated five other times between 1969 and 1972. By the time the Apollo 17 mission ended, 12 astronauts had explored the surface of the moon, and the collective contributions of hundreds of thousands of engineers, scientists, astronauts and employees of NASA served to inspire our nation and the world.
    [Show full text]